Värnamo Hospital

The design of the interior is based on the latest findings on the importance of the space for the patient, and the entire unit has been planned using evidence-based design. White’s architects, landscape architects, and lighting designers have worked together across their fields to ensure good navigability, attractive views across greenery, and ample natural light wherever people spend time. These are three qualities that we know do people good and also contribute to both a good environment for recovery and a good work environment.

The operating rooms have been located in the facade and the staff room by an inner courtyard with an outdoor area. The intensive care unit is modular, each module consisting of two patient rooms and a monitoring station in between. This balance gives the patient and their relatives privacy while reducing the spread of infection and giving staff a good overview with an adequate staff-to-patient ratio.

It’s especially important that patients in intensive care have a calm and peaceful environment that facilitates their recovery, so this is a key element in the design of the rooms. Environments full of visual and auditory disturbances risk causing hallucinations and delirium in patients who oscillate in and out of consciousness. This is why the patient rooms are separated on the ground floor and boast generous windows and outdoor spaces so that the beds can be rolled out into the fresh air.

This provides contact with the world beyond the closed ward environment and the opportunity to witness the passage of time through changing light during the day, which is hugely important for well-being. The green inner courtyards are an important element of the original architecture and are a feature that lives on in the new structure. Each courtyard has its own character and features individually designed works of art that give patients, staff, and relatives the opportunity for a moment of respite.